Falls of as much as 200mm have washed away some crops and caused a softening of many others. Just what might be the extent of the damage was not known yesterday, with farmers and authorities unable to traverse the saturated fields.

And while the consensus was the rain could be good for summer crops – including sorghum, corn and cotton – the reality was recently sown seed could also have been washed away.

“We’re still trying to assess the damage – it’s not pretty,” NSW Department of Primary Industries technical farming John Kneipp said.

“It looked like we would have a substantial crop but there is a big percentage of that ruined.

“Given that amount of rainfall and the maturity of the crop, it’s not pretty. I hate bad news stories in

agriculture.”

Gunnedah grain grower Eddie Valks was one person waiting to assess the damage after Friday night’s storms.

Having had high hopes for his 400 hectares of durum – which showed promise of being his first winter crop in three years – Mr Valks faced the prospect of having his crop downgraded.

“You lay awake at night wondering if it’s going to come off.

“It just goes to show, you just don’t know what will happen.”

Even before this latest downpour Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton told parliament farmers were staring down drastic losses.

“In the last couple of weeks heavy rain has dramatically reduced the quality and dropped the price of this grain which could result in more than $150 million being taken out of a part of my electorate,” he said.

“After seven years of drought, to be within the grasp of obtaining a crop of wheat and then watch it being washed away is

devastating.”